besides the usual challenges of creating a new organization etc, here’s the problem as i see it.

when you call “bullshit”:

if the stuff is petty/personal, you end up valleywag type rumors, which i don’t really see that as helping anyone.

for the non-petty stuff, only insiders have this info. to take a simple example, most active investors know the valuations of the last rounds of most companies that raise money, yet that info rarely makes it to the press. there are tons of non-petty things I’d love to see in the press about the actions of certain VCs, founders etc but I’ll never write because unfortunately there would be backlash (not just against me but against companies I invested in, friends etc).

so i’d love to see some examples of non-petty stuff that might realistically be reported.

at any rate, I support any non-valleywag style blogs about nyc startups, and would be happy to get involved to help etc.

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6 thoughts on “nyc tech startup blogs”

Based on my own personal philosophy of ‘always assume positive intent’ :), as opposed to ‘calling bullshit’ per se (which it is possible to do in a ‘just some things to be aware of’ calm, pleasant way), an NYC tech startup blog would be terrific as a source of inspiration and solidarity-building.I meet and talk with fellow NYC-based startup entrepreneurs all the time, all strangers whom I run into at NYTechMeetup or similar gatherings, who have been connected with me by other people in my network or found me online, both male and female (I meet with a lot of female entrepreneurs who find it particularly difficult to connect with and meet female role models operating in the NYC tech startup space). I received an email this morning from two startup founders I met recently: ‘Thank you so much for making time to meet us last week! We have been giddy since we met you. Your energy and encouragement blew us away, and could not have been more well-timed. Thank you.’I mention this because this is what NYC entrepreneurs particularly need, for those moments when (as Matt Mireles’ and other blogs have pointed out) constantly battling against all the many obstacles you encounter gets distinctly disheartening and you go, ‘What the fuck am I doing?’ (And yes, despite Fred Wilson’s identification of two of the fundamental traits of entrepreneurs as ‘A stubborn belief in oneself’ and ‘A confidence bordering on arrogance’, we all have those moments.) The ability of an online gathering place to share stories of inspiration and success, solidarity of ‘we’re all going through this, it’s not just you’, helpful tips on best sources of early-stage funding, and to broker connections where we can all help, cheer on and inspire each other, would be terrific.

Would love to interview you and talk to you about NYC 3.0 http://nyc30.com/ or get any feedback. Right now we are still building the site and audience, and may be switching the design to more of a blog format.

Sometimes I’m amazed by the serendipitous good timing of the tech community. STBullard, that “physical space” idea of yours is actually coming together in NYC right now. It’s called Superconductor (http://superconductornyc.com), and it’s a community-driven hackerspace + coworking club for tech startups in NYC that I’m spearheading with a bunch of other startups. By founders, for founders; or, exactly what you are talking about. Might be interesting to institute a group-edited blog around it as well, dedicated to covering the tech startups of NYC.